If you're looking for hiking trails in San Mateo y Santa BrígidaThis circular route leaving from El Madroñal (Santa Brígida) passing through San Mateo and the La Mina Ravine It is one of the best options. Along the trail you can enjoy different rural landscapes, as well as one of the most beautiful ravines and villages in Gran CanariaIn this article we will tell you all the details so that you can do this hike on your own and safely. Do you dare to discover it?
Circular route El Madroñal – San Mateo – La Mina Ravine
This Beautiful hiking route in Gran Canaria We started it in the neighborhood of Madronal, in the municipality of Santa Brígida. However, as it is a circular walk you could start the tour in San Mateo, because the track passes through here. We can say that it is an intermediate level because of the total distance of 10,7 kilometers and a cumulative positive gradient of 390 meters. However, in terms of technical difficulty it is low. It took us approximately 2 hours walking-running and recording. If you like to walk at a leisurely pace, you can probably complete it in about 3 hours.
| Distance | 10,7 km |
| Approximate duration | 2-3 horas |
| Total promotion | 390 m |
| Level | Intermediate-low |
| Circular | Yes |
| Recommended time | All year |
It `s important to carry enough water and something to eat, although San Mateo you can stop to buy what you need. Likewise, if you start in San Mateo, when you pass through El Madroñal you could buy water or food. Remember that When hiking, it is essential to wear technical footwear to avoid accidents, especially in the winter months when the ground is wet.
Places of interest during the Circular by San Mateo y Santa Brígida
During this circular route through San Mateo, you will pass by several beautiful spots and places of interest:
- The Madroñal: The route begins and ends here, it is a quiet neighborhood and Perfect for parking your car and finishing the tour by eating at one of the restaurants we recommend below..
- San Mateo: A well-known town in Gran Canaria, famous for its weekend farmers' market and pretty streets. We invite you to discover all the places what to see in San Mateo in case you decide to start here.
- Rural zones: farms with horses and cattle, yam plantations, Almond trees in bloom (during January and February) and even some blue tajinaste (in bloom from February to May) as we show in the video at the end.
- La Mina Ravine: A green ravine with lots of vegetation. It is of the most beautiful areas of the route, especially after the rains. Everything is super green! Here is a picture of a part of the trail photographed from above.
💡 Do you know the origin of the name of the Mine Ravine? Its name comes from a underground gallery built at the beginning of the 16th century to channel water from the basin of Tejeda to city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and its agricultural areas, thus being One of the first water transfers carried out in SpainThe word "mine" refers precisely to this type of tunnels dug to take advantage of water resources. Similarly, the term mine In the toponymy of the Canary Islands it also refers to 'water source'.
Track of the circular route through San Mateo – La Mina Ravine – El Madroñal
If you want to do This hiking route through San Mateo y Santa Brígida on your own, You can then download the map with the track in .GPX format. This way, you can easily follow the route from your mobile or Garmin-type GPS watchIf you don't know how to track a route with your mobile phone, there are apps like Guru Maps that can help you do it. Here we explain it to you. The map has a small cost that helps us maintain this project on Gran Canaria and is also a way to reduce mass access to our natural spaces. Thank you for your support and for enjoying nature responsibly.
If you want to know more hiking trails in Gran Canaria, in our blog we share tours of different levels.
Where to eat after the hike
After completing the Circular route from El Madroñal by San MateoYou're sure to be hungry. There's no pateo without a papeo! We recommend these two restaurants.
- Casa Martell Restaurant: This restaurant is one of the oldest in Gran Canaria. Here the specialty is the Martell lamb and confit black pigWe also love their courgettes with plum sauce, their homemade “biutifarra” and the gofio bomb for dessert. It is in the El Madroñal area and we chose to eat here after the route. In fact, that is why we started here.
- Ca Manolo El Madroñal: An excellent option in the same area where you can park to start this route. Ideal if you feel like canarian food with dishes like potage, pork rinds with gofio and the grilled cheese with mojo sauce.
It is important Book in advance, especially on weekends, as it is usually full of hikers and local visitors.If you can't get a table, take a look at other recommendations from restaurants in Santa Brígida from our blog. We hope you enjoy this hike and delicious meal in Gran Canaria. Follow us on Instagram @welovegrancanaria to be aware of more plans to do in Gran Canaria and sign up for free to our whatsapp channel with daily news.
Video of the route
If you want to see exactly what this is like route through the Barranco de La Mina, El Madroñal and San Mateo, we leave you below a video where we show the most beautiful spots on the route, useful tips for the hike and our visit to the iconic Casa Martell restaurant. We hope you like it! Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with more routes and restaurants.
Gran Canaria Guides
If you are thinking of discovering more plans what to do in Gran Canaria and you don't want to waste time looking for information, we have something for you. Our digital island guides They are made for travelers like you, who want to go directly to the best places on the island.
- Complete guide to Gran Canaria: All the essentials of the island in a single document with 35 different plans to choose from.
- Beach Guide: The best beaches in Gran Canaria, from the best known to the most hidden.
- Restaurant Guide: The best places to try typical Canarian food and other places we frequent, organized by municipality.
Click on the image below to view all guides and packs available. Remember They are digital and available in Spanish and English.
Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.
Excellent work to promote Gran Canaria and its treasures. Two "new" routes. Magnificent images, collecting our almond trees in bloom. And two good options to eat traditional Canarian food.
Thank you very much.
many thanks!!